Life Will Go On
by Katriona
Summary: After Erica's death, Camille tries to cope and to help Zack do the same. Lora gets to know her son better, and tries to bring him closer to her family. Meanwhile, a new case fuels a disagreement between the two women. *Please r&r*
1. Default Chapter

Life Will Go On  
  
Summary: After Erica's death, Camille tries to cope and to help Zack do the same. Lora gets to know her son better, and tries to bring him closer to her family. Meanwhile, a new case fuels a disagreement between the two women.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from For the People, yadda yadda yadda, I really don't see why this is necessary, but whatever.  
  
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Camille Paris hung her coat in the closet, and went over to the couch, where her fifteen-year-old nephew, Zack, was sitting with his head in his hands. They'd just come back from the funeral for Erica, Zack's mother and Camille's big sister, and they hadn't spoken a word to each other all morning.  
  
Camille put a hand comfortingly on Zack's shoulder, but he shrugged it off and went into his room. Camille sighed. He's shutting me out again, she thought. She had, over the years, gotten used to, but she hadn't expected it now. They had gotten so close while Erica was in the hospital, or at least Camille had thought so. Is this how it's going to be for the next two years? Camille couldn't help wondering. And then, she thought, what about after Zack goes to college? Without Erica, is he just going to forget about me completely? Is it really only a matter of time before I lose him, too?  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come in!" Camille called, suddenly feeling to weary to even open the door.  
  
The door opened to reveal her ex-husband, Michael. He came in, the worry lines across his handsome face deepening when he saw her, standing next to the couch, looking exhausted.  
  
"Hi," she said, forcing a smile.  
  
"How are you doing?" he asked gently.  
  
Camille sighed. "Okay, I guess."  
  
Michael arched an eyebrow. "Okay, you guess? Meaning...?"  
  
"Meaning, I'm horrible and I don't want to admit it." she conceded.  
  
"Thought so." he said before crossing the room to give her a hug. "How's Zack?"  
  
"I wouldn't know. He won't talk to me."  
  
"Maybe you should give him space for a while?" Michael suggested. "Just for a little while. Give you both a chance to breathe."  
  
"But what if I can't breathe?" Camille asked suddenly. "Michael, I just lost my big sister. How am I supposed to deal with that?"  
  
"Slowly." Michael told her after a short pause. "You just try getting through each day, no matter how much it hurts. Don't think about after that. Don't think too far ahead. Just try to cope with the present. You've lived without Erica before, all those times she's diasappeared. Sure, it hurts more now, but you can't stop living, Camille."  
  
She noticed he didn't say that it would hurt less with time. She was grateful for that omission; the cliche was practically all she'd heard all day, and she didn't believe it.  
  
He pulled her to him, comforting her. They moved toward the couch, and then, when they were both sitting down, and Camille felt like she couldn't hold back any longer, she leaned against him, and cried.  
  
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A/N: I know that chapter sucked, but I was doing it in a hurry. I promise, future chapters will be longer and less fluffy.  
Please, review. I'm working on a bunch of fics, and the ones that get the most reviews also get the most attention. 


	2. Riot Act

A/N: Sorry, I know I've been taking forever to update, but I've been working kon my Charmed fics so much that this one kinda got left behind. I'll try to update sooner next time, provided I get some reviews.  
  
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"Zack?" Camille called softly. She was standing in the doorway of her nephew's bedroom, coat in hand.  
  
"What?" he responded grumpily from under the covers. It had been a week since the funeral, and this was the first actual word she'd gotten out of him. The rest of the time he'd been speaking in monosylabic grunts, if he spoke to her at all.  
  
"I'm going to work." she said. Her voice was quiet, strained. She'd been walking on eggshells around him, trying desperately not to start a fight. An argument was the last thing either of them needed now, and she wished he could see that.  
  
He sat up, looking at her somewhat suspiciously. "Okay."  
  
"If you need anything, call me." Camille told him.  
  
He glared at her, thinking, Yeah, right. He watched her close the door, and heard her car leave a few minutes later. Only then did he get up.  
  
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"Claudia, school!" Lora yelled up the stairs for the third time that morning.  
  
Her husband was right behind her. "Claudia, your sister's already gone! You're late, get up."  
  
Their teenage daughter appeared at the top of the stairs, finally dressed. "Bye, Daddy." she called over her shoulder, as she rushed past them and out the door.  
  
"What was that about?" Thomas asked.  
  
"She's mad at me." Lora replied.  
  
"For not letting her go to that party?" Thomas guessed. Lora nodded. He put his arm around her, squeezing her shoulders as they watched through the window Claudia getting on her bus.  
  
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"Hey, Kay!" Claudia called to her best friend, Kayliegh.  
  
"Hey, Claud." Kayliegh replied. "Are you coming tonight?"  
  
Claudia made a face. "Ugh, no. My mother won't let me, she's afraid there's going to be drugs or something."  
  
Kayliegh rolled her eyes. "It must suck, having a mom who's the DA."  
  
Claudia nodded. "You have no idea."  
  
"Kay, Claud!" called their other friend, Logan. "Did you hear what's going on down on the first floor?" Kayliegh and Claudia both shook their heads. "A bunch of students are holding a peaceful protest against the school's new mandatory drug tests for athletes."  
  
Claudia exchanged a glance with Kayliegh, and smiled. Her mother's big thing was drugs; this would be the perfect way to rebel. Logan, guessing what his friend was thinking, led the girls downstairs to where the protest was being held. Three pairs of eyes widened at the scene before them.  
  
"Uh, Logan? I thought you said this was a peaceful protest." Kayleigh said.  
  
"It was when I left." Logan answered.  
  
If it was peaceful before, it wasn't now. Fights had broken out all along the hallway. People were screaming at each other, punching, kicking; chaos had broken out.  
  
Claudia sniffed. "It smells like something's burning." she mused.  
  
It took everyone a few minutes to realize that someone had started a fire. Then, all hell broke loose. The prinicpal came on the speaker, trying to restore order while getting everyone to safety, but no one paid attention. They stampeded out of the building, pushing and shoving people out of their way. Claudia felt herself getting pulled into the crowd as the hall filled with smoke. She went outside with everyone else, and when she got there, she realized she didn't see Kaliegh and Logan. Frantically, she searched the front of the school, which was swarming with people. She didn't see them anywhere.  
  
A fireman spotted her and pulled her toward the truck. "My friends, I think they're inside." she babbled.  
  
"Your friends are probably out here somewhere, with everyone else." the fireman replied. "Meanwhile, let's take care of that arm."  
  
Claudia looked down, confused, and realized her arm had been burned. In the confusion, she hadn't noticed before. Sniffling, she allowed the fireman to lead her toward one of the many ambulances that had arrived. Helplessly, she watched as he put her inside and shut the door. 


	3. Into The Fire

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially the people who've been e-mailing and IMing me. The feedback is really, really appreciated. Keep it coming :)  
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Zack looked around, pushing his way through the crowded hallway. At his aunt's suggestion, he'd gone to back to school. Not that Camille knew he'd taken her advice, of course; he'd waited until she was gone before moving, and he'd be home long before she was. After all, why should he give her the satisfaction of knowing she was right? What was the point of making friends with her now? It wasn't like anyone he knew ever stuck around too long, anyway...  
  
He made his way up the crowded left staircase to the top floor. His locker, along with a few other kids', was in a small, seldom-used corridor that housed the utility room, as well as a few long-abandoned classrooms. As new additions had been built, they'd stopped using this wing for anything but lockers and homerooms. Zack liked it this way; it meant nobody would spin his locker or mess with his stuff. Zack was very protective of his stuff.  
  
Being in an isolated area had it's disadvantages, too. He often missed announcements that were read over the PA. He was usually late to class because he had to go so far out of the way. And he didn't hear fire alarm go off that morning.  
  
Zack continued his normal morning ritual of gathering his books, stopping to tape a picture of his mother to the inside door of his locker. He touched it gently before slamming the door, then continuing to his first class.  
  
He started coughing as soon as he got into the main hallway. It was thick with smoke, so much that Zack couldn't see. Instinctively, he reached for the wall, but pulled his hand back as it touched the burning-hot metal lockers. He tried to call out, and his lungs filled with smoke. Coughing even harder now, he ran blindly to the stairs, smacking into someone on the way.  
  
The person he collided with took his hand, and led him downstairs. The smoke there was even worse. Zack somehow lost his rescuer, and stumbled around, disoriented. He couldn't tell where he was, though he knew it had to be the first floor. Closing his eyes to make them stop watering, he wandered around, feeling along the wall for the large front doors to the school. He felt nothing but lockers and the occasional classroom door. Eventually, when he thought his lungs would burst, his legs gave out and he fell to the ground. Slowly, everything went black.  
  
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Camille walked into the building, glad to be back. She made her way upstairs, smiling at the warm and sympathetic greetings from her co-workers.  
  
Lora intercepted her as she got off the elevator. "Welcome back," she said, leading Camille into her office.  
  
"Thanks. You have no idea how happy I am to be here." Camille responded.  
  
Lora smiled. "So I guess I don't have to ask you if you think it's too soon, if you need more time."  
  
"No." Camille said, shaking her head. "If that's what you were going to ask me, the answer is no."  
  
Lora nodded. "Allright." she said, cocking her head to the side a little. "Are you sure you're okay?"  
  
Camille sighed, but nodded her head. "I won't say that everything's back to normal. It's... hard. On me, and on Zack. I still miss her, I always will, but I just... I need things to start settling down."  
  
Lora smiled understandingly. She was about to say something else, when Agnes burst into the room.  
  
"I'm so sorry to interrupt," Agnes started quickly, "but there's a fire. At Claudia and Zack's school. It's been evacuated, and some students have been taken to the hospital. I thought you should both know."  
  
Lora and Camille exchanged helpless, panicked glances, each clutching the other for support. "Is there anyone inside?" Lora asked, her voice barely above a whisper.  
  
Agnes shrugged, looking at the two women compassionately. "That's why they called us." she said, as gently as she could. "They don't know." 


End file.
